WANJU, WELCOME
The theme of this year’s National Reconciliation Week highlights the need for action, ‘now more than ever’. To transform reconciliation into action asks us all to reflect on how we can make a difference by redressing imbalances and advancing justice. We are extremely proud to present two powerful exhibitions that draw from histories where action was central – actions of force, of resistance, and of strength. In both exhibitions, these actions are reinterpreted, retold, and presented in contemporary ways in dynamic conversation with archival materials. N’yettin-ngal Wagur – Yeye Wongie [Ancestors breath – Today talk] brings together four emerging Noongar artists who have responded to the artworks of the Carrolup Child Artists and the broader Carrolup story. Curtin, as the custodians of The Herbert Mayer Collection of Carrolup Artwork since 2013, has an obligation to share and better understand our history, and to continually explore ways to further truth-telling, healing, and reconciliation. Guided and led by emerging curator Zali Morgan (Whadjuk, Balladong, Wilman peoples), the artists in this exhibition, through research and visual explorations, have brought a contemporary reflection on that history. Through the lens of emerging Aboriginal artists who have engaged deeply with the artworks of the Carrolup children, this exhibition demonstrates a formidable continuum of artistic practice. Also entwined in the confronting history of the 1905 Act, the context for The Strelley Mob is one of resistance and action. The Strelley Mob are descendants of the Pilbara pastoral workers who went on strike in 1946 and went on to run their own mines and stations. The recovery of the stories of the Strelley Mob from an archive of illustrated literature, produced by elders in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, has inspired the community to revisit
the history of the strike and the Strelley School, including in a new series of animations. It is no accident that a university art gallery such as the John Curtin Gallery is hosting two exhibitions that centre on the strength of education. These exhibitions have been thoughtfully paired to amplify how knowledge systems can be transferred through learning. While the Carrolup artworks emerged from the disturbing truth of the Stolen Generations, there is an incredible strength made visible through the provision of materials and space for creativity. Similarly, the independence and power of the Strelley Mob is evident in the stories and illustrations that form the basis for this exhibition. Made by Nyangumarta people for their children when the Strelley Community School was opened, these artifacts demonstrate a remarkable self-determination and resistance. The Gallery’s commitment to truth-telling through the Carrolup artworks will continue with the mid-year opening of a dedicated Carrolup gallery space at 139 St Georges Terrace – the Old Perth Boys School. Formerly a site for colonial education, this location will soon facilitate learning in a different way, commencing with Once Known, an exhibition that will encourage a deeper reflection of the past to enable truthful understandings of the present. Central to all these exhibitions is the incredible yet simple power of the Carrolup and Strelley School drawings and illustrations. There is sense of careful observation of Country, of culture, of rituals and stories that are translated and interpreted visually to reveal part of our history in compelling ways. These artworks are a portal to examining our past and how it shapes our present, and for not just imagining our future but – now more than ever – spurring us to action.
A/Prof. Susanna Castleden Interim Director
This publication supports the exhibitions:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
N'yettin-ngal Wagur – Yeye Wongie [Ancestors breath – Today talk]
The John Curtin Gallery would like to thank Zali Morgan for finding new and dynamic ways of engaging with the Carrolup Collection, extending our understanding of Stolen Generations through the talents of contemporary Noongar artists. Our thanks to the curators of The Strelley Mob exhibition, which has emerged through years of dedicated work and we thank the researchers and community for bringing these stories to light.
Curated by emerging Noongar curator Zali Morgan, this exhibition celebrates the enduring legacy of the Carrolup Child Artist Movement. Four earlycareer Noongar artists – Amanda Bell, Brett Nannup, Lea Taylor, and Tyrown Waigana – have been commissioned to create new works in response to the Carrolup Collection at the John Curtin Gallery. Through diverse mediums and styles, they intertwine their personal contexts with the stories of the Carrolup Child Artists, honouring Noongar histories and aesthetics.
The Strelley Mob The Strelley Mob are the descendants of the Pilbara pastoral workers who went on strike in 1946 and went on to run their own mines and stations. Their stories – hunting, pearl shell gathering, mining and organising themselves against a hostile government – were written and illustrated by elders for their children when they opened their own school. These original story books are jewels of Pilbara history, artefacts of a community making their own art and literature after generations of struggle. Their drawings, including some the first known art by Nyaparu (William) Gardiner, are here newly animated and projected alongside paintings and artefacts that bring the history of the Strelley Mob to life.
9 May - 8 July 2024 Publication copyright 2024 John Curtin Gallery unless otherwise stated. Text Copyright ©Susanna Castleden ©Darren Jorgensen ©Inge Kral ©Zali Morgan All rights reserved. This catalogue is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. No illustration in this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be made to the publisher. All works of art are copyright of the artists.
Zali Morgan would like to thank Amanda Bell, Brett Nannup, Lea Taylor and Tyrown Waigana for their hard work and rigorous responses to the Carrolup Collection at the John Curtin Gallery. Thank you to the Curtin University Art School staff, and the Print Technicians Riley Salmon-Lomas and Emma Jolley who have allowed Brett to continue to expand his practice and ensure his involvement in the exhibition. Extended thank you to Mark Parfitt (Major Lead for the Bachelor of Creative Arts Fine Art major). Thank you to Helen Carroll and Wesfarmers Arts for their ongoing support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and arts workers. Your support ensures the next generation. The Strelley Mob curators offer immense and grateful thanks to Ingrid Walkley of Nomads Charitable & Educational Foundation, whose help lies behind much of this exhibition. Thanks too to Su Baker, Julian Wigley, Ian Wallis, Annie Cameron of Wangka Maya, Faraday Boydell of FORM, Ross Chadwick of the Western Australian Museum, Gemma Weston of the University of Western Australia Art Collection, Pat Flanagan of GFL Fine Art, and Rose Murray and Ross MacCallum of the Remembering the 1946 Pilbara Strike group.
JOHN CURTIN GALLERY
John Curtin Gallery Building 200A, Curtin University Kent St, Bentley Western Australia 6102 Mon to Fri 11am-5pm Sun 12-4pm Closed Saturdays & Public Holidays Free admission curtin.edu.au/jcg @johncurtingallery gallery@curtin.edu.au 08 9266 4155
curtin.edu.au/jcg
The John Curtin Gallery would like to thank the collective dedication and teamwork of our staff who allow us to meet every challenge and continue to deliver exhibitions of the highest standard.
ISBN: 978-0-6450795-9-3
Presenting Partners: Wesfarmers Arts and Lotterywest.
Once known child artist, The Blue of the Sky, c1949. pastel and charcoal on paper. 27.7 x 37.9 cm. The Herbert Mayer Collection of Carrolup Artwork donated by Colgate University, New York, USA 2013. Curtin University Art Collection. Reproduced with permission of the Carrolup Elders Reference Group.
John Curtin Gallery | Djeran Season 2024
The Strelley Mob acknowledges Project Sponsors: Nomads Charitable & Educational Foundation, The Australian Research Council, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, and the School of Design, University of Western Australia Cover: Tyrown Waigana, Martha Mangle Stuck Together, 2024, digital print, 109 x 77 cm
N'yettin-ngal Wagur – Yeye Wongie [Ancestors breath – Today talk] The Strelley Mob